Sonic the Hedgehog zoomed its way into theaters this weekend, far surpassing Birds of Prey to land in the No. 1 spot at the box office. Based on the Sega video game series of the same name, the story follows a talking blue hedgehog from another world making a new life for himself on Earth. Unfortunately, his safety is threatened when he is discovered by the sinister Dr. Robotnik, and it’s up to a small-town policeman to rescue the speedy rodent before he becomes the mad doctor’s next test subject.
Right away, what I want to do first here is praise the filmmakers for listening to the fans. Originally, the film was supposed to release last year, though its first trailer brought about heaps of backlash from Sonic fans appalled by the animated creature’s design. With Sonic looking more like an abomination straight from Cats rather than the familiar blue rodent we know and love from the video games, it was clear right away that the film was not going to work leaving him as is.
Fortunately, the film was postponed, giving the titular hedgehog a much-needed makeover prior to the movie’s release. As it is now, Sonic looks fantastic, and regardless of the film’s other positive qualities, the movie would have suffered greatly if not for the redesign. You have to appreciate when people listen to the fans and adjust accordingly to make them happy, so, again, I just want to offer my own personal thanks to the powers that be for doing what was necessary to prevent the original design from sinking the film entirely.
Ben Schwartz does a fine job voicing Sonic, and the same can be said for his co-star James Marsden with his role as Sheriff Tom Wachowski. However, the standout performance of the movie has to go to Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. As the most entertaining and hilarious character in Sonic the Hedgehog, Carrey’s Robotnik manages to even remind me of some of Carrey’s most memorable comedy roles from years past, and it’s great to see him back in true form here as a comedic actor like no other.
I will say that I’m not entirely certain how much someone unfamiliar with the character will enjoy the movie, but as a ’90s kid who spent God knows how many hours of my childhood playing Sonic the Hedgehog games, I was very satisfied. Sonic’s design, the incorporation of his trademark rings into the story, and some well-placed sound effects really did a lot to call back to the source material, giving the original fans plenty to geek out over. Without spoiling what you’ll see here, I also highly recommend you watch the awesome credit sequence as well, especially if you’re a longtime fan.
Of course, while the film is fun for ’90s kids who’ve since become adults, the movie is really meant to introduce Sonic to a new generation. As all of the kids in the theater I was in laughed consistently throughout, I’d say the film gets the thumbs up from its target audience as well. Though not absolutely perfect, I certainly enjoyed it more than Detective Pikachu and the Mortal Kombat movie, making it the most enjoyable video game movie adaptation yet. We’ll see if that still holds up after the upcoming Uncharted movie with Tom Holland and James Wan’s Mortal Kombat reboot make their way into theaters. But, for now, it looks like Sonic is the king.
Sonic the Hedgehog is currently playing in theaters everywhere. You can watch the official trailer below.
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